Even The Less Privileged Have a Chance To A Better Life

Life is cruel. When life presents to you a series of opportunities and privileges, one should not merely think that it is your right or that you deserve them. This was because someone else somewhere only wishes to be provided with them; or to ever live such a life like yours. During my elementary and secondary school education; I did not worry so much about anything because I lived and went to school according to my parent’s wish and orders.

Nonetheless, I could go to school and come back home in the evening without so much mingling with people or traversing across the community to realize or identify the great need; as well as desperation that cut across the community of people and children who were my peers; who lacked or were denied the chance to get educated.

I just lived in a comfort zone without realizing that there were several children who could not access education due to various inequities; such as extreme poverty levels, family imbalances, gender discrimination and several other unfair factors.

Let Us Play A Part In Changing Our Communities

It is not until when I joined the university that I got to chance to view the world in its true colors. During my first year at the university, I joined the university organization for all. The organization was involved in community activities such as creating awareness on the need for cleanliness to avoid vulnerable diseases, educating communities on the need for practicing safe sexual activities, enlightening them on rights and privileges of individuals as provided in the constitution, and so on.

However, I got the chance to visit various families and that is when I realized the true picture of most families and communities in the country. I experienced first in-depth situations of agonizing illiteracy levels due to poverty, ignorance and conservatism. These experiences disturbed my mind for a long time and the more I engaged in the volunteering work.

The more I grew the need to end the status quo to save the situation

I embarked on a mission to convince the university through our leaders to set up a program that would absorb the most desperate of our community children; as well as talents; and nurture them by creating a recreation center. I was specifically tasked to write a proposal and submit it to the department of community development for assessment.

As I continued with my volunteer work through our student organization; I kept putting pressure on the department to act on the proposal; and either fund it, or take up the task as an institution altogether. It would serve as a social responsibility initiative by the university. However, the university kept dilly-dallying on approving the proposal; until so much time passed by without any notable progress.

The Role of Influencing Change Begins Within Us

Nevertheless, I felt the need to take up the initiative by myself, and by then, I had joined my third year where I had decided to major in community development studies. I therefore approached some of the students from the volunteer organization and formed a group that I named the Awakeners.

Since I had chosen to pursue community development as a career, I registered the group with the ministry of social development. It is from this juncture that I started meaningful development of saving the situation at our community. I started by approaching the corporate institutions around the nearby city, such as banks, companies and schools for funding and resource mobilization.

Setting up this type of rehabilitation center

However, I presented to the same proposal of setting up a rehabilitation center that would absorb the less privileged children. And teach them on the importance of acquiring education for all and help them to identify their talents; as well as potential that would otherwise rot in them at the watch of an ignorant society.

My efforts and the efforts of my group members bore recognizable fruits as we were able to convince various parties to contribute towards our program. The response was generous enough and saw us complete the construction of a rehabilitation center at a community land. I sent several leaflets of invitations around the community for them to bring their children to the center. They welcomed the idea and we embarked on teaching them vocational skills.

The ministry of community education

This was pleased by my initiative and supported us with library. The center gradually grew in admission and I was able to even formulate a curriculum of study. When I graduated, I dedicated my time in managing the center. With well wishers and people of goodwill showing their support, I was able to hire a few tutors to help me in the mentor-ship of the children. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that five years down the line; the center was able to advance to technical training institute. They say that you may not be a teacher. But you can become an ‘Awakener’.